Compound engine.



(No Model.)

Patented May 27, I902.

w. HOPKINS, Decd. .l. HOPKINS, Administratrix. COMPOUND ENGINE.

(Application Med Oct. 19, 1901.)

$8 i Ab i WITNESSESI 5 Sheets-Sheet l.

INVENTOR Numb ATTORNEY.

m2 NORRIS PETKRS co, PHDTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, u c

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Patented May 27, I902.

W. HOPKINS, Decd.

J. HOPKINS, Admin'istratrix. COMPOUND ENGINE.

(No Model.)

// rrx |NVENT$R H 9? M 5m. bac ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES:

FKL'NORHIS vzrzns c0.. PHCiD-LIYHQ. WASHINGTON. u. c.-

No. 700,930. Patent 0 Ma 27, I902.

w. HOPKINS, MIN. 9 y l. HOPKINS, Adminiairatrix.

COMPOUND ENGINE.

(N0 Modal.) pp filed 19, 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR BY H V m m ATTORNEY.

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No. 700,930. Patented May 27, I902. W. HOPKINS, Deed.

l. HOPKINS, Administratrix. CUMPDU'ND ENGINE.

(No Model.) (Appliation filed Oct. 19. 1901.) 5 Sheets Sheet 4.

Patented May 27, I902.

w. norms, Decd. I. HOPKINS, Administratrix. COMPOUND ENGINE.

(No Model.) PP med 19, 5 Sheets-Sheet '5.

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WITNESSES.- 6 10M d Q/dwwyflw A T70R15 IINITnn STATES.

WILLIAM P TENT OFFICE.

HOPKINS, OF DUBUQUE, IOW'A; JEANNE HOPKINS, EXEOUTRIX OF SAID XVILLIAM HOPKINS, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO THE IOWA IRON WORKS CO., OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

COMPOUND ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,930, dated May 2'7, .1902.

Application filed October 19,1901. Serial No. 79,235. (No model.)

T at whom-it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the mode of construction and operation of compound engines, with special reference to their use in steamboat navigation; and one of the objects is to construct the engine in such a compact form that it will occupy the least possible space and at the same time be most effective in use.

Another object is to unite the high and low pressure cylinders of the engine and connect to them the puppet-valves in such a manner that the usual valve-gear for operating a single high-pressure engine may be utilized for operating all of the valves for both high and low pressure cylinders comprising this compound engine.

These and other objects of somewhat less importance will be fully developed and explained in detail in the following specification when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying the same, in which-;

Figure 1 shows a perspective of my device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through line X X of Fig. 1 looking backward, being a vertical section through the forward valves and both cylinders. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through lines Y Y of Fig. 1 looking forward, being a vertical section through the rear valves and both cylinders. Fig. t shows a perspective of one of the puppet-valves with a part of the casing removed and the valve partially raised in the basket. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the engine complete, showing also means for operating the valve-gear, together with the connections between the engine and the driving-shaft. Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 5.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in each of the figures.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 repre sents the high-pressure cylinder, and the low-pressure cylinder. Instead of placing these cylinders one behind the other, I preferably cast these two cylinders in one piece and place them the one above the other, as shown in Fig. 1. In this manner the space which they occupy is materially diminished from the old form of placing them one be hind the other, and, further, there is provided between the two cylinders a passageway for the exhaust-steam from the highpressure cylinder to the low-pressure cylinder, as will fully appear hereinafter. The high-pressure cylinder is supplied with a piston 4L and the low-pressure with a piston 5, to which are connected the piston-rods 7 and 8, and these are united together by the usual crossshead 10. The cross-head 10 is connected by a pitman 3 to the crank 6, attached to the driving-shaft 9. Upon the driving-shaft are the usual eccentric 11 and cam 16, the former of which is connected by the rod 17 to the cut-off gear, and the cam 16 is connected by the rod with the valve-gear for operating the valves herein described. Near the forward end of the cylinders upon one side are placed a set of puppet-valves 12 and 13, the valve 12 directly over the valve 13 and the two, forming the set, connected to the same stem, whereby they can be operated conjointly and by the same gear necessary for operating one valve. Upon the opposite side of said cylinders are also set in the same manner valves 14 and 15. Near the rear end of the cylinders are set in the same manner as at the forward end the set of valves 18 and 19 on one side and the valves 20 and 21 on the opposite side of said cylinders, each set of valves attached to and operated by the same stem. By placing these eight valves in duplicate sets and connecting each set to a common stem I am enabled to operate all of these-eight valves by the usual valve-gear necessaryfor operating a single high-pressure engine, as will hereinafter appear.

The puppet-valves used in connection with this compound engine are preferably such as are shown in Fig. 4 andconsist of a shell or casing 30. Within the casing is set a basket or cage 31, resting upon the shoulder 33.

Within the cage is placed the valve 32, which rests when down upon the valve-seat 34 at the bottom and 35 at its top. This valve 32 is smaller at the bottom than at the top and is made hollow, and in this manner the steam Will pass down through the valve and around it and hold it in equilibrium, so that all the power that will be required to raise the valve will be simply sufficient to overcome its gravity. The steam is introduced into this valve through a port 24in the rear and passes out through an exit-port 40. To the top of the valve is attached the valve-stem 37, and upon this same stem 37 is also placed another valve situated immediately above it, and both valves are operated by the same stem, as shown in Fig.1, and at the same time. Each of the four stems for operating the eight valves are connected with the valve-gear. As the valve-gear forms-no part of this invention, it is not described herein, as any wellknown gear for operating puppet-valves may be used in connection with my invention.

The steam from the boiler is introduced into the valves 12 and 18 through the entryport 25 through the pipe 24. Between the two cylinders 1 and 2 is formed a steam passage-way 27, which supplies the steam to the low-pressure cylinder 2 and is connected at the forward end with the valves 13 and 14 by the ports or passage-ways 42 and 44 and at its rear with the valves 19 and 20 by the ports 45 and 46.

A further description of the various parts connected with the construction and operation ofthis engine will be fully shown in the following description of its mode of operation.

Starting when the pistons 4 and 5 have traveled in their respective cylinders to the rear of said cylinders, at this time the exhaust from cylinder 1 will have passed through the entry-port 48 into the valve 20 and out through the exit-port 46 into the passage 27, and at the same time the exhaust from cylinder 2 will have passed into the valve 21 through the port 50 and out through the exit-port 52 into the open air, and the valves 12, 13, 20, and 21 will have been closed. At this time the valves 18, 19, 14, and 15 will be opened, and the fresh steam will pass through the pipe 24 into the valve 18 and out through the exit-port 54 into the rear of cylinder 1, and the exhaust-steam will pass through the passage 27 through the port 45 into the valve 19 and through the exit-port 56 into the rear of cylinder 2, which will drive the two pistons 4 and 5 backward to the forward end of their respective cylinders, and thesteam will then escape through the port 58 from cylinder 1 into the valve 14 through the exit-port'42 down into the passage 27, andthe exhaust-steam from cylinder 2 will pass through the port 60 into the valve 15 and through the exit-port 62 into the open air. To drive the pistons back to the rear of their cylinders, fresh steam is introduced 'roopao through the pipe 24 into the valve 12 and out of said valve through the port 64 into the forward end of the cylinder in front of piston 4, and at the same time the exhaust-steam in the passage 27 passes into the valve 13 through the port 44 and out of said valve through port 66 into the forward end of cylinder 2 in front of piston 5, and the pistons4 and 5 are at the same time driven to the rear of their respective cylinders. It will be seen that when the set of valves 12 and 13 are raised by means attached to their common stem 37 to admit the fresh steaminto the forward end of the cylinder land the exhauststeam into the cylinder 2 that the set of valves 20 and 21 will also be raised, the valve 20 to admit the exhaust-steam from cylinder 1 and discharge it into the passage 27 and the valve 21 to receive the exhaust-steam from cylinder 2 and discharge it into the open air. Again, when the set of valves 18 and 19 are opened,the one to receive fresh steam through the pipe 24 andthe exhaust from the passage 27, that the set of valves 14 and 15 will also be opened, the upper one to receive the exhaust from the cylinder 1 and discharge it into the passage27 and the other valve 15to receive the exhaust-steam from the cylinder 2 and discharge it into the open air. It will be observed that by this mode of placing a set consisting of two valves, the one above the other and connecting them to a common stem, that all of the eight valves can be operated by the same valve-gear that would be necessary to operate the four valves of a single highpressure engine.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a compound engine, a high and low pressure cylinder placed one above the other, two sets of valves secured on opposite sides of the cylinders, each set connected to a common stem, and means connected with the stems of the valve for operating said valves, for the purposes shown.

2. In a compound engine, two cylinders placed one above the other, a passage for the exhaust-steam from the high-pressure cylinder between the two cylinders, two sets of puppet-valves upon each side of the cylinders, each set connected to a common stem, and means, connected with said stems, for operating said valves, for the purposes shown.

3. In a compound engine, two cylinders the one a high-pressure and the othera low-pressure placed one above the other, a passageway for the exhaust-steam from the highpressure cylinder between the two cylinders, a set of valves connected to a common'stein for introducing the fresh steam to the forward end of the high-pressure cylinder and the exhaust-steam into the forward end of the low-pressure cylinder, aset of valves connected to a common stem on the opposite side of the rear of the cylinder for receiving the IIO exhaust-steam from the high-pressure cylinder and transmitting it into said passage-way and also for receiving the steam from the lowpressure cylinder and discharging it, for the purposes shown.

4. In a compound engine two cylinders one a high-pressure and the othera low-pressure placed one above the other, a passage-way for the exhaust-steam between the two cylin ders, a set of valves connected to a common stem for introducing the fresh steam into the rear end of the high-pressure cylinder and the exhaust-steam into the rear end of the low-pressure cylinder, and a set of valves connected to a common stem placed upon the opposite side near the forward end of the cylinder one for receiving the exhaust-steam from the high-pressure cylinder and transmitting it to the passage-way, the other for receiving the exhaust from the low-pressure and discharging it into the air, and means connected with the valve-stems for operating the same, for the purposes shown.

5. In a compound engine, a high and low pressu re cylinder placed one above the other, a passage-way between the cylinders, two sets of puppet-valves, each set united to a common stem and secured upon one side of the cylinder for introducing the fresh and exhaust steam from both ends of the cylinders, two sets of puppet-valves each set connected to a common stem for receiving and discharging the exhaust from the cylinders and means connected with the valve-stems for operating the same, whereby the four upper valves receive the fresh steam and introduce it into the high-pressure cylinder and discharge the exhaust-steam into the passageway from the high-pressure cylinder, and the four lower valves operate the piston in the low-pressure cylinder and discharge the exhaust-steam into the air.

6. In a compound engine a high and low pressure cylinder set one above the other, a passage-way between the said cylinders and eight puppet-valves each consisting of a casing, shoulders within the casing, a basket, a hollow circular valve and double valve-seats, two of said valves forming a set and each set connected to a common stem, and means connected with the stems for operating the said valves, for the purposes shown.

7. A compound engine, consisting of two cylinders placed one above the other, a passage-Way between the cylinders, two puppetvalves connected to a common stem andsecured upon one side of the cylinder near the forward end, another set consisting of two valves and united to a common stem and secured upon the same side of the cylinder near the rear, two other sets of valves each set consisting of two valves united to a common stem, secured upon the opposite side of the cylinders and means connected with the stems of the "alves for operating the same, whereby the four sets of valves comprising the eight valves are operated by the valvegear necessary for operating a single highpressure cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

WM. HOPKINS. iVitnesses:

M. M. OADY, A. L. CLARK. 

